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Death Grip
The next morning, Xing Chen arrived early at the Azure Cloud Gang's Council Hall. Upon seeing Xing Chen, Yun Qing's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Not bad, not bad. Although your cultivation has not yet reached the Soul Refinement Realm, achieving Half-Step Soul Refinement Realm combined with your application of Martial Arts makes securing a Helmsman position a piece of cake." Although Xing Chen had previously claimed to have broken through to the Soul Refinement Realm, Yun Qing knew that was impossible and had never taken it seriously. Therefore, seeing Xing Chen reach Half-Step Soul Refinement Realm was already very gratifying.
"The Helmsman position will surely belong to me," Xing Chen said calmly, his tone carrying an absolute confidence and dominance.
"Good, haha." Yun Qing laughed heartily. "As expected of my disciple, my student should have this kind of confidence."
"Let's go. I'll take you to the square; the people from Three Halls and Nine Branches should have already arrived, and your senior brother has long since gone ahead." After laughing, Yun Qing returned to his usual demeanor and stood up to speak to Xing Chen.
"This time's Struggle for the Position of Leader has indeed revealed many talents hidden among ordinary disciples. These individuals have already reached the Soul Refinement Realm in these fifteen days; we must not underestimate them." As they walked, Yun Qing spoke to Xing Chen.
"Yes, Master," Xing Chen nodded.
Before long, Xing Chen and Yun Qing arrived at the Azure Cloud Gang's square, where the people from Three Halls and Nine Branches had already gathered. Senior Brother Qin Ying had also arrived early.
"Master." Upon seeing Xing Chen and Yun Qing, Qin Ying hurriedly approached them.
"Mm." Yun Qing nodded and then ascended the high platform, looking down at the crowd. "Everyone, our Azure Cloud Gang has lost two Helmsmen. These two Helmsmen contributed many years to our Azure Cloud Gang and were killed by thieves. I, Yun Qing, will definitely avenge them. However, our Azure Cloud Gang is a large faction; the position of Helmsman cannot remain vacant. Therefore, I have decided to hold this Helmsman selection competition for two purposes."
"First, to select two new Helmsmen; second, to see what other talents in our Azure Cloud Gang have been overlooked. We absolutely cannot allow such talents to be buried within our Azure Cloud Gang. To ensure fairness, my two disciples will also compete against you; however, you need not worry—if you can defeat them, then the Helmsman position will naturally still be yours."
"The Struggle for the Position of Leader officially begins now."
"The leader is wise!" The crowd below clasped their fists in salute.
"You are all elites selected from my Setting Sun Hall. For this Struggle for the Position of Leader, I do not require you to win; just do your best," said Lin Luori, Hall Master of Setting Sun Hall, looking at several individuals beside him. All of them had reached the Soul Refinement Realm and were indeed the elite among ordinary disciples in Setting Sun Hall.
The Azure Cloud Gang had over a hundred thousand ordinary disciples; naturally, not all could participate in this Struggle for the Position of Leader. Thus, each Hall Master used these fifteen days to screen all disciples and brought only the strongest among them.
The other two Hall Masters were also instructing their disciples at this moment. As for those Helmsmen, they had not brought anyone with them; they were merely here to observe. Since the Helmsmen's direct superior was the Hall Master, the elite disciples from their branches had long been summoned away.
"Everyone, I will preside over this Struggle for the Position of Leader," a person appeared on the Dueling Platform. This person was Lin Luo, who had previously assessed Xing Chen and others. Although Lin Luo's strength was not very high, he was skilled in flattery and was a trusted aide of the leader, Yun Qing.
"There are a total of twelve participants in this Struggle for the Position of Leader. Let us draw lots to determine our opponents!" Lin Luo then took out a bamboo tube containing more than ten bamboo slips.
Xing Chen and the others stepped forward to draw a slip and then returned to their seats.
"Junior Brother, what number did you draw?" Qin Ying asked as he looked at Xing Chen.
"Number seven. How about you?" Xing Chen glanced at the slip in his hand and replied.
"I drew number three. It seems I won't have to worry about facing you in this round," Qin Ying smiled. He was most afraid of competing against Xing Chen because no matter who won, neither could secure the position of Helmsman.
On the side, Luo Tong watched as Xing Chen and Qin Ying laughed together, and his resentment grew stronger. This time, he not only hated Xing Chen but also held a grudge against Yun Qing.
The rules for this Struggle for the Position of Leader stated that any disciple could participate, so Luo Tong was no exception. With his Soul Refinement Realm cultivation and the combination of Eclipse Sun Sword and Eclipse Sun Sword Technique, few could match him.
"Since everyone has drawn their lots, I announce that the Struggle for the Position of Leader officially begins now. Please have the participants who drew number one and number twelve come up to the stage," Lin Luo said before stepping down from the Dueling Platform.
"Please!" The two Soul Refinement Realm disciples stepped onto the Dueling Platform. After exchanging respectful gestures, their expressions turned serious, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.
Meanwhile, Xing Chen and others, along with the Hall Masters and Helmsmen from the Three Halls and Nine Branches, carefully observed the two participants.
For Xing Chen and his group, it was important to remember how these two fought and what special moves they had so that they could prepare when facing them later. As for those Hall Masters, Helmsmen, or Yun Qing, they were simply curious to see how strong these two really were.
At this moment, both disciples on stage drew out their weapons. The clash of swords and blades rang out as they struck against each other, creating a resounding noise. Their figures moved swiftly across the platform, leaving behind trails of afterimages.
"Junior Brother, who do you think will win between the two of them?" Qin Ying suddenly asked.
Xing Chen did not answer immediately but stared intently at the two fighters. After a while, he replied, "The one using the sword will win after a hundred moves."
Qin Ying's expression shifted slightly. Although he also favored the swordsman, he could not tell exactly when that person would win. If Xing Chen was correct, it indicated that he was not only exceptionally talented but also had keen insight beyond ordinary people.
Soon, a hundred moves passed. The stage was filled with flashing blades and swords as the two continued to fight fiercely. Suddenly, the swordsman feigned an attack with his sword, deflecting his opponent's blade before swiftly pointing forward with his other hand.
"Shattering Tendons and Breaking Bones Finger—" This lightning-fast strike landed sharply on the opponent's right shoulder. Accompanied by a scream, the opponent's weapon clattered to the ground, while a cold long sword was now pressed against his neck.
"Junior Brother, you were right; the swordsman won right after a hundred moves," Qin Ying said, looking at his junior brother with admiration and praise. His junior brother was indeed stronger than him!
"Junior Brother, could you defeat them if you stepped in?" Qin Ying suddenly asked, curious about Xing Chen's current strength.
"One move!" Xing Chen pondered for a moment before replying calmly.
"One move?" Qin Ying's expression changed as shock appeared in his eyes. Soon after, that shock turned into joy. He knew that even he could not guarantee defeating an opponent in one move, and if Xing Chen could do that, then his strength was definitely not much weaker than his own.
At that moment, while the two were conversing, the second match had already begun. This time, it was Luo Tong who took the stage. Xing Chen knew very well how strong Luo Tong was; even against someone from the Earth Soul Realm, Luo Tong had a fighting chance. Unless something unexpected happened, this match would surely end in Luo Tong's victory.
"I am Zhou Fan..." The man on stage cupped his fists toward Luo Tong, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted.
"Die!" On the Dueling Platform, Luo Tong's expression was cold as he looked at his opponent with murderous intent. At this moment, he felt extremely frustrated and resentful, and this unfortunate opponent became his outlet for anger.
Seeing Luo Tong attack without hesitation with a thrust of his sword, Zhou Fan's face changed slightly. His hands and body contorted into a strange posture, resembling a coiled venomous snake exuding a chilling and deadly aura.
"That's Advanced Martial Technique: Venomous Snake Locking Hand." One person in the audience exclaimed as they observed Zhou Fan's stance and then looked at Luo Tong with some pity.
“Venomous Snake Locking Hand? It turns out to be this sinister martial art. It seems that guy is in trouble; being hit by Venomous Snake Locking Hand will definitely lead to a very painful death.” Another person looked at Luo Tong with glee.
“Advanced martial art?” Xing Chen showed a look of confusion. Isn’t it just an advanced martial art? Why such surprise?
The levels of Martial Arts are categorized from low to high: low-level Martial Arts, mid-level Martial Arts, Advanced Martial Technique, followed by Earth-Level Martial Arts, Heaven-Level Martial Arts, Divine-Level Martial Arts, and spirit-level Martial Arts. The Ninefold Thunder Palm and Shifang Wujiquan passed down by Yun Qing are classified as Earth-Level Top Martial Arts.
“Junior brother, don’t underestimate Zhou Fan. Although Venomous Snake Locking Hand is just an advanced martial art, once hit, one will be infected with a highly potent poison that will lead to a swift death,” Qin Ying said with a serious expression. “So, even though Venomous Snake Locking Hand is only an advanced martial art, it is more troublesome than earth-level martial arts.”
After hearing Qin Ying’s explanation, Xing Chen narrowed his eyes and was also moved. The power of Venomous Snake Locking Hand may not be very great, but that poison is not something an ordinary person can handle.
“Venomous Snake's Fang—” Zhou Fan twisted his body in an unusual manner, dodging Luo Tong’s sword. Immediately, he revealed a vicious expression and unleashed his strongest move, his body springing up like a venomous snake, with speed and strength reaching their peak in an instant.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, the two fingers of Zhou Fan, held together, pierced through the air like Venomous Snake's Fang, aiming directly at Luo Tong.
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